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Wood gets $3.9 million deal, avoids arbitration

9/21/13: Travis Wood holds Atlanta to one run over seven strong innings, allowing just five hits while striking out seven Braves

By Carrie Muskat
/
MLB.com |

CHICAGO -- The Cubs avoided an arbitration hearing with Travis Wood, signing the left-hander to a one-year, $3.9 million contract on Friday.

The salary is slightly closer to the $4.250 million that Wood filed for last Friday than it is to the Cubs' $3.5 million counter.

It's a substantial raise for Wood, who earned $527,500 last season, in which he posted career highs in starts (32) and innings pitched (200). The lefty compiled a career-best 3.11 ERA en route to his first All-Star selection and reached the 200-inning plateau for the first time in four big league seasons.

A second-round pick by the Reds in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Wood spent his first two seasons with Cincinnati before being traded to the Cubs in the deal that included reliever Sean Marshall. In four seasons, Wood is 26-35 with a 3.83 ERA over 97 appearances (93 starts).